Consignments of opioids concealed in soles of shoes and hair attachments heading to the United States, United Kingdom and Cyprus have been intercepted by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos and three courier companies in the state.
Director of Media and Advocacy of the NDLEA, Femi Babafemi, confirmed the seizures in a statement he issued to the media on Sunday.
Babafemi said a total of 2,118 pills of tramadol concealed in soles of 13 pairs of shoes going to Cyprus were seized at the export shed of the Lagos airport on October 12, 2024 and additional 380 tablets recovered from the home of the sender, Okenwa Kelvin Uchenna, during a follow up operation in Enugu on October 24.
A cash of N968,880 and a Toyota Avalon car marked: UWN 389 AS, were also recovered from the suspect at the time of his arrest.
Not less than 293 ampoules of promethazine and pentazocine injection as well as 1.690kg cannabis and tramadol tablets concealed in hair attachments and soles of shoes going to the United States, United Kingdom and Oman were intercepted at three courier firms by NDLEA officers of the Directorate of Operations and General Investigation in Lagos on October 24.
In the same vein, a total of 26.25 million pills of tramadol as well as 508,400 bottles of codeine based syrup worth N16.683,800 billion in street value were intercepted by NDLEA operatives during a 100 percent joint examination of watch-listed containers with men of the Nigeria Customs Service and other security agencies at the Tincan port in Lagos State and Port Harcourt Port, Onne, Rivers State between on October 22 and 23, 2024.
Other illicit consignments intercepted during the joint inspection of the containers included 10 million tablets of Toradol Benzhexol and 28 plastic drums of methamphetamine weighing 700kg at Tincan and Onne, while 56 parcels of Loud, a synthetic strain of cannabis weighing 28kg were also recovered from a container that arrived the Lagos port from Canada.
A suspect, Tsolaye Eburajolo, 40, was arrested at Ago Palace area of Okota, Lagos State in connection with the cannabis seizure, while a bribe of N10 million paid NDLEA officers to free the suspect has been kept as part of the exhibits for the prosecution of the case.
Meanwhile, NDLEA operatives in Lagos on October 25 raided the Igbo-Igunuko shrine, located at the Alfa Beach, Ajah, where jumbo bags of Ghanaian Loud, a strain of cannabis, weighing 2,760kg were recovered and two suspects: Gbenga Abiodun and Sunday Abiodun, arrested.
Also Read:
- Ayo Adebanjo: Family releases burial programme
- Erotic Monday Night: Lunch hour sex, by Tiwa Says
- Tantita donates CBT Centre to Delta community
- FG approves N2.5bn satellite gadget to combat illegal mining
- Diri rejects South-South PDP congress, calls for unity
Another suspect, Ademola Oyelakin, was arrested the same day with 770kg of the same psychoactive substance along Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.
A total of 11,786 pills of tramadol, molly, rohypnol and diazepam as well as 64 bottles of codeine syrup were recovered from the underground storage a suspect, Muhammad Warnos Abdullahi, dug in his bedroom at Marwa Coastal Road, Lekki Phase 1, Lagos when NDLEA officers raided his home on October 25.
The suspect dug the illicit drug storage deep in his room, covered it with a padlocked iron slate, a rug and then put his mattress on top to avoid detection.
In Plateau State, a suspect Fadan Bindom, 39, was arrested at Pilgani village in possession of 65.85kg cannabis and 18 grams of tramadol, while another suspect Sunday Agbata, 42, was nabbed at Pavwei-Rayfield, Jos South Local Government Area with 5,830 tablets and ampoules of bromazepam, diazepam and pentazocine injection on October 23.
A major distributor of illicit drugs in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, Umar Muhammed, 40, was on October 21 nabbed following the earlier seizure of a consignment of 198.5kg cannabis linked to him at Wuse Market Park.
In Edo State, NDLEA operatives recovered 640kg cannabis concealed in 80 jumbo bags of fresh vegetables at Ewu junction, Irrua, Esan Central LGA and arrested a suspect, Austin Oruamen, 27, while another suspect, Adereti Kazeem, 35, was nabbed with 200 blocks of cannabis weighing 133kg at Obalayan, Ile-Ife, Osun State on October 24.
With the same vigour, Commands and formations of the Agency across the country continued their War Against Drug Abuse sensitisation activities to schools, worship centres, workplaces and communities among others in the past week.
These included WADA sensitisation lecture to students and staff of Government Girls Secondary School, Tambuwal, Sokoto State; St. Mary College, Awka, Anambra State; Prime Rose Model Private College, Saki, Oyo State; Community Model Arabic College, Malumfashi, Katsina State; Community Junior Secondary School, Rumuomasi, Rivers State; and WADA advocacy lecture to Rugar Alhaji Manu Unguwan Sullubawa, Gombi, Adamawa State.
While commending the officers and men of the MMIA, Tincan, PHPC, FCT, Lagos, Osun, Plateau and Edo Commands of the Agency as well as those of DOGI for the arrests and seizures, the Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brigadier General Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd), stated that their operational successes and those of their compatriots across the country, especially their balanced approach to drug supply reduction and drug demand reduction efforts are well appreciated.
Follow The Eagle Online Channel on WhatsApp
